Puzzle.



L. S. BURBANK.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION TILED DEO.13, 1912.

1,071,874. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS S. BURIBANK, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PUZZLE.

Application filed December 13, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis S. B'URBANK, a citizen of the United States, and a rcsi dent of Hopcdale, in the county of Worcester and State of h/Iassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention in its preferred form .is embodied in a puzzle comprising two flat members or plates pivotally connected at their central portions and lying side by side, each member having a plurality of slots differing in form and arrangement from the slots in the other member, and a plurality of headed buttons or slides engaged with the slots in the two members and movable progressively from the cent ".11 to the outer portion of the puzzle by rotativcmanipulation of the members to cause the intersection of the different portions of the slots, the featto be accomplished being to move all the slides from the inner to the outer ends of the slots, this feat being rendered difficult of accomplishment by peculiarities in the form of the slots, all as hereinafter described.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a view of one side of the puzzle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a view of the opposite side of the puzzle. Fig. 3 represents a view of one of the members of the puzzle separated from the other. Fig. 4: represents a section on line 1-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary view showing a modification. Fig. 6 represents a side view of a modification. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 77 of Fig. (3.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In Figs. 1 to 5, 12 and 13 represent the slotted members of the puzzle, the same being preferably made of sheet metal although any suitably stiff and relatively thin sheet material may be used. A pivotal connection is provided between the central portions of said members whereby either may be rotated relatively to the other. As here shown, the pivotal connection is a stud 14: which may also serve as a handle, said stud passing through orifices in the central portions of the members 12 and 13 and being provided with a head 15 bearing on the outer side of the member 13. The member 12 is a disk provided with a plurality of sinuous slots each composed of curved portions 16 which are substantially concentric Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Serial No. 736,539.

with the pivot and connecting portions 17 which are substantially radial to the pivot, the portions 16, 17 forming a continuous sinuous slot extending from a point near the center to a point near the margin of the member 12. The outer end of each slot has an enlargement 18. The member 13 is preferably cruciform and each of its arms is provided with a substantially straight slot 1?), the munber of the straight slots being equal to the number of sinuous slots in the member 12, each member having four slots in the en'lbmlimcnt of the invention here shown.

When the members are relativcl y ad justcd as shown by Figs. 1 and 2, the inner ends of the slots in one meu'iber coincide with or intersect the inner ends of the slots of the other member. To complete the puzzle, I provide a plu 'ality of slides 20 each composed of two heads and an intermediate shank, the shanks of the slides being adapted to move in the slots of the members 12 and 13 while the heads are of greater diameter than the width of said slots. The numher of slides corresponds with the Illlll'llJGI' of slots in each of the members, four slides being provided in the present case.

YVhen the puzzle is set for operation the slides 20 occupy the coinciding inner ends of the slots in the members 12 and 13, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the heads of the slides bearing on the outer surfaces of the members 12 and 13 and preventing separation of said men'ibcrs. The feat to be accomplished is to move all the slides into the enlargements 18 of the sinuous slots. in accomplishing this feat the members 12 and 13 are rotatively manipl'llated, the sinuous form of the slots in the member 12 requiring short partial rotations of one member relatively to the other in opposite directions. If the sinuous slots were uniformly shaped this feat would he comparatively easy. To render the feat dillicult of accomplishment, I vary the form of the sinuous slots as indicated clearly by Fig. 3 in which it will be seen that the concentric portions 1(3 of the sinuous slots are of different lengths so that the slides starting from the closed ends of the inner concentric portions can not siuulltancously reach the inner radial portions 17. The same statement applies to each of the concentric portions 16 excepting the outer ones. It is necessary therefore, to move the slides and the members 12 and 13 in different directions a large number of times before all the slides can be-brought into the outer concentric portions of the sinuous slots. I have found in practice that not less than 681 movements are required to waccom'plishthe described feat, the form of the sinuous slots being as represented. WVhen the slides reach the enlargements'18 the member 12 may be lifted from the member 13 and the pivot 14, the enlargements'lS being wider than the diameter of the heads of the slides, and the member 12 being movable from the pivot. the slots 19 in the'member 13 may have'enlargements 22, Fig. 5, through Whichthe slide heads may pass, in which case itwill notbe necessary to separate the member12 from'the member 13.

I Tl18"n10ClifiCl form of puzzle shown by- Figs. 6 and 7 composes two fiat members 120 and 130. The member 120 has a plurality of sinuous slots each composed of parallel portions 160 and connecting portions 170,

' one end of eachsinuous slot having an en largement 180. The member 130 has straight slots 190 extending across the parallel por-- tions 160, themember. 130 being movablerelatively to the member 120 in directions parallel with the portions 160. Means are provided for maintaining the member 130 With'its slots substantially at right angles with the parallel portions of the sinuous slots, and at the same time permitting the described relative movements of the mendbers. As here shown, the member 130 is provided with ears 181 which engage. and are adapted to slide on oppositeends of the member 120.

The sinuous slots differ in form from each other as indicated by Fig. 6, and the slides 20 are engaged with the inner end portions of the sinuous slots and with connecting portions of the slots 190 when the puzzle is set for operation.

Practically the same manipulation is requiredto solve the puzzle as with the construction first described, the movements of each member relatively to the other being rectilinear instead of rotary.

While I have shown the member 130 pro-- vided with a plurality of independent slots 190, it is obvious that these slots may be connected to form a single elongated slot. -The intermediate portion or portions of such single slot between the adjacent portions of the sinuous slots will not be operative, however, since the slides will never i enter said intermediate portions, so that, in

"eifect, the member 130 will have a plurality of slots 190.

The construction shown by Figs. 1 to 4 is preferable on account of its compactness, it being obvious that the member 120, if provided with four sinuous slots, will neces- If desired, however,

sarily be much longer than the diameter of the member 1:2.

I claim 1. A puzzle comprising two slotted members having a central pivotal connection, one member being provided with a series of substantially straight slots radiating from the pivotal connection, and the other with a series of sinuous "slots each composed of a plurality of curved portions substantially concentric with said'pivotal connection, and radial portions connecting'the curved portions to form a-continuous sinuous slot eX- 'tending from-'thecentral portion nearly to themarginof'said member, and a plurality of headed slides engagedwiththeslotsin the-twomembers andmovable progressively outward rotative manipulation of the members to cause the intersection of different portions'of the slots, the sinuous slots being diilere'ntly formed.

bers having a central pivotal connectiomone mem'ber b'ei-ng provided with a series of sub- 7 stantially strai ghtslots-radiating from the =-pivotal connection and the other with a series ofsinuous slots each composed of a plu- -ralityof curved portions 1 substantially con- -=centric with saidpivotal connection, and

radial portions connecting" the curved portionsto form a continuous sinuous slot eX- tending -from the central portion nearlyto the margin=of said member and a plurality" of beaded slides engaged with the slots in the two members and movable progressively outward by rotative manipulation of the -membersto 'cause the intersection of different'portions of the slots, the sinuous slots 7 being differently; formed and provided with enlargements at" their outer ends whereby the separation of t'he members is permitted. 8."A puzzle comprising two slottedmembers' Conneotedto-permit a movement of either member relatively tothe other in predetermined directions, one 'member being provided with aseries of sinuous slots :each I composed of substantiallyparallel portions and connecting portions, while the other ANNIE Li WYILBUR.

- Copies of: this patent may-be obtained forfive eentsveach, byaddr'essing-the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

2. A puzzle' comprising two slotted -mem- 

